The present invention relates to a tool exchange system for a die pick-up stage of a hybrid die bonder, in particular an automatic hybrid die bonder.
A hybrid die bonder is used for bonding semiconductor dice of a range of different types, and in particular, sizes to a substrate. The die is supplied in an appropriate die presentation system, a number of different types of which are known and used, to a die eject station, at which individual dice are ejected from the die presentation system and picked up by an appropriate tool.
In known pick-up systems, the pick-up tool comprises one or more pairs of jaws held in a holder fixed in the machine. When it is necessary to change from picking up one size of die to picking up a different size of die, in known machines, the tool jaws are changed. This has the disadvantage that there is a loss in operating time while the jaws are being changed, and the exact position and orientation of the jaws relative to a fixed reference point has to be determined on each occasion that the jaws are changed.
It is a further disadvantage of the known machines, which is particularly significant when small dice are being handled, that the effective weight of the tool assembly is quite high, which makes fine adjustment of the die more difficult.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool exchange system for a die pick-up stage of a hybrid die bonder, in particular an automatic hybrid die bonder, in which the above disadvantages are reduced or substantially obviated.